Surveys Italian history from the creative legacy of Bonaparte to the collapse of the Christian Democrat hegemony and the anti-corruption campaigns of the 1990s. Special attention will be paid to the Risorgimento, as well as to Italy under Fascism. Discusses long-term social problems such as the Mafia, migration, the Mezzogiorno, regionalism and Italy's uneven economic development. Italy's relative poverty and the historic fragility of nationalist aspirations will be emphasised, but not at the expense of the 'economic miracle', or Italy's current role within the EU. Discussion material will include film and literary sources.